Doubts about the way in which new guardrails were installed on the "Hemus" highway were presented in the show "Face to Face" on bTV. The chairman of the Road Safety Institute, Bogdan Milchev, said that during an inspection on September 29, missing bolts, poor welds and dangerously protruding metal elements were found.
„There are missing bolts, there are poor welds, elements protrude like spears“, Bogdan Milchev said.Allegations of replacement before the inspection
According to Milchev, before the inspection, some of the facilities were dismantled and replaced. He claims that employees of „Automagistrali“ worked at night, dismantling seven meters of guardrail and then starting to assemble 80 meters of new facility.
According to the chairman of the Road Safety Institute, representatives of a Turkish company were present during the inspection. Milchev said that they instructed the workers on how to install the guardrails.
Contracts, certificates and crash tests requested
The Road Safety Institute has requested information on the contracts, certificates and crash tests of the guardrails, as well as installation instructions and a project for their replacement.
„We asked „Automagistrali“ for the installation instructions. They don't have them. We asked for a project because you can't replace without a project. They don't have a project“, Milchev claims.According to him, the institute has referred the matter to the prosecutor's office. Milchev also linked the case to the departure of managers in the road sector, stating that the organization received information from its sources in the „Road Infrastructure“ Agency and “Highways“.
Ananiev: The allegations must be verified
The former chairman of the parliamentary transport committee Nastimir Ananiev called for an inspection before drawing conclusions about the condition and installation of the crash barriers. According to him, the problems with these facilities are not new and have been discussed for years.
Ananiev pointed out that now it remains to be seen what specific actions the authorities will take. According to him, there is no single measure that alone will solve the problem of serious accidents. He emphasized the training of young drivers and control over driving schools.
In the conversation, Milchev also presented data according to which as of October 4, 378 people died in accidents, or 45 more than in the same period of the previous year. According to him, the state must change the way it determines where to direct road safety funds.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg